One reason I enjoy wargaming is the research involved surrounding my current period of interest (which changes weekly). Military history is full of exciting events, battles, personalities and equipment. Since I moved to Iowa City for a new job, the opportunities to wargame have greatly diminished. So, I find myself reading more and spending more time on the Internet. One of the sites I like to visit is the Center of Military History at http://www.army.mil/. This site posts booklets on varies aspects of military history. The essays are well written and the topics cover subjects like Desert Shield, Desert Storm, the Army Flag, World War 11 in China, Central Pacific campaigns, the Russian Front, documents from the Vietnam War.

If you like to follow material on the Eastern Front then you need to read Operations of Encircled Forces: German Experiences in Russia. The study follows the tactical problems involved in carrying out penetrations and envelopment, and in closing the ring around an enemy. German pockets in Russia often the results of peremptory orders to hold out in the face of certain encirclement are used to illustrate the tactical principles applied by the encircled units. The essay is written from the German point of view with numerous excerpts of military communications.

So if you want to read some Russian front accounts of desperate unit commanders this site has the maps and accounts you want to download. Of course, it is all free.